2014 Story Advent Calendar Blog Hop - The Surprise.

Okay, so I am trying my hand at a children's Christmas story for the Story Advent Calendar Blog Hop. It's the idea of reading your children a Christmas story for each day of advent. I have used this wonderful photo as an inspiration. It is from was a Christmas card I was sent many, many years ago, and which I have always kept.

The  Surprise.

Poppy and Russell had been watching the snow falling all day. It was settling on everything and they couldn’t wait to go out and play in it.

“Mummy, when can we go out?” Poppy called over her shoulder.

“In a minute darling, let me just finish this,” a muffled voice from the kitchen replied.

Mummy had been in the kitchen a long time and they weren’t allowed to know what she was doing. She called it a secret, but then it had changed into a surprise. Poppy was worried because she knew not all mummy’s surprises were good. Sometimes it meant she was cooking food that looked and smelled funny and they would have to eat. Although today there were no funny smells today coming from the kitchen, which there usually were if she was doing that - there were only rustling noises.

Russell climbed down off the back of the sofa and tiptoed to the kitchen door.

“Russell, no!” Poppy hissed. She sighed. It was so difficult keeping her younger brother under control while mummy was doing these things. And it was always up to her to look after him.

Poppy joined him at the door intending to pull him back, but instead peeped through herself.

“What do you think it is, sis?” Russell whispered at her.

“I don’t know,” she whispered back, struggling to make out what mummy was doing.

There was a big, plastic box on the kitchen table, and mummy was covering it in Christmas wrapping paper, but every time she brought the paper round to the front she giggled. Poppy hadn’t seen mummy giggle like that before. She had seen her laugh, only this morning they were having a tickle game, but this was different; she seemed to have a particular sparkle in her eye when doing it. It made Poppy want to go and hug her. She thought about doing that, but knew mummy would be cross if she went into the kitchen without being allowed.

At that thought Poppy pulled at Russell again. “Come on, let’s go and get our coats on, ready for when mummy let’s us go out to play.”

They tramped into the hallway, and Poppy helped Russell on with his coat. When she pulled his scarf tight, he pulled a face, so she pulled one back. Before they knew it they were pulling faces at each other trying to see who could make the other one laugh the most.

Then there was a muffled call from the kitchen, and they stopped.

“What was that mummy?” Poppy called back.

“I said, come here. It’s no good; I can’t wrap him up.”

Poppy frowned at Russell, and he copied her.  “What’s mummy talking about?”

Russell opened his eyes wide and put his hands up in a shrug. “I don’t know, let’s go and see.”

He pushed passed Poppy wanting to be first, and she raced after him all the way to the door, where they both stopped suddenly and opened it slowly.

Mummy was sitting at the table now a mug in her hand. The plastic box was still on the table, but when they approached it, it moved.

Poppy jumped, but Russell continued on until he could see the front. His face lit up.

“Oh mummy, it’s a cat! Poppy come and look!” He beckoned to his sister with his whole arm.

Poppy joined him and they both peered through the door of the cat box, staring at the little black fluffy thing inside.

“Is it a baby cat, mummy?” Poppy asked, thinking he looked a bit bigger than she thought a baby cat would.

“No Poppy, he’s a bit older. But what are we going to call him?”

Poppy put her finger to her chin and ummed, but Russell blurted out “Sooty!”

“That’s a good name, Russell.” Mummy tousled his hair.

“Well he’s all black, isn’t he, from the chimley.”

Poppy giggled, and Mummy smiled at Russell’s attempt at the word chimney. “From what chimley, Russell?”

“Our chimley, of course, the one Father Christmas put him down to give him to us!”

“Oh I see!” Mummy laughed, and Poppy laughed too. She knew it wasn’t true - it couldn’t be, it wasn’t Christmas Eve yet and everyone knew Father Christmas only came on Christmas Eve. But if mummy wasn’t going to tell Russell, neither was she. She was a good like that.   

For all the Advent stories, see below.